Improvement in revolving fire-arms



E. H. GRAHAM.

Revolver.

Patented Nov. 24, 1863.

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NITED STATES teem EDMUND H. GRAHAM, or ronnnns, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN :REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 4 0,657, dated November 24, 1868.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDMUND I-I. GRAHAM, of Yonkers, in thecounty of Westchester and State of New York, ha re invented a new and useful Improvement-in Revolving-Cylinder Fire Arms; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull,clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specilication,.in which Figure 1. is a central longitudinal vertical section of a pistol constructed according to myinvention, omitting the lo'ekand otherparts not necessary to illustrate the improvement. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same,'with the frame in section. cylinder and barrel-s; Fig. 4 is a back view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

Thisinvention consists in asliding barrel so combined with a revolving cylinder as to slide longitudinally into and from the cylinder, and that each charge,while being fired, is contained in the barrel itself, the rear portion of the barrel forming the only chamber of the arm.

It also consists in 'certain mechanism for producing the longitudinal movement of the barrel, and, further, in giving the axis-pin of a revolving fire-arm a longitudinal movement, which may be instrumental in cooking the hamdiameter than the exteriors of the cartridges,

and open along the outside of the cylinder, as shown at f fin Fig.3. At the back of each of these cavities there is provided in the cylinder a smaller circular opening a, concentric with the cavity, such openings being of a size for the cartridges to tit snugly within them, and these openings are also open in the sides of the cylinder, as shown at c in Fig. 4.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the The cartridges D, Fig.1, which I propose to employ are what are known as fined'anilnu nition, having metallic shells, and a fnlminate prim'n g being contained in a flange, a, projectingontwardly from the cylindrical portion of terior turned and finished: to fit snugly but easily into the cylindrical cavities b b of the cylinder, and i nto'a hole, h, bored through the front of the frame for its reception, the said hole being in such position lution of the cylinder the several cavities may be brought one ata time exactly opposite to it, for the purpose of allowing the barrel to slide into thc'cylindcr. The rear end of the barrel is made to fit up against the backs of cavities b b and provided with a lip, g, on its upper side, to enter the open spaces 0 0 formed in the sides of the cylinder by the circular rear openings, 0 c, the cxtremityof the said lip ,bein g flush with the rear end of the cylinder when the barrel is in its place, and serving as a firm bearing to support the flanges of the cartridges, against the blow of the hammer in firing.

barrel has formed upon its under side a down- The ward projection, i, which is connected by a linlr,j, with a lever, E, working on a timid fulcrum-pin, k, inserted through the frame. The projection -i, link j, and upper portion of the lever E occupya mortise, m, in the frame below the hole It when the barrel is in the position forfiring,(shown in Fig.1.) Thelowerportion of the lever E projects from the frame, and may be constructed to form a trigger guard.

The operation of loading and firin g the arm is as follows: To load,the lowercnd of the lever E is moved forward, and by that means the. l)ilIltl is drawn forwardbut of the cylinder..

Thecylinder is then loaded by inserting the cartridges into the openings on loan behind provision for doing this being made in any of the ways hercinbefore mentioned. One of we that by the revo cavities b b in the cylinder is next brought opposite to the barrel, and the lever E drawn back to draw back the barrel into the opposite cavity 0 of the cylinder. In this operation the barrel passes between the cartridge and the interior of the cavity 1) and receives the cartridge within its rear portion,which constitutes the chamber. The firing is eli'ected in the same manner as in other revolvers. To prepare for the repetition of the fire, the barrel is moved forward again by the lever E, as before described, and the cylinder turned by the usual or any suitable means to present the next carity b opposite to it, after which the barrel is drawn back again into the cylinder to receive the cartridge.

In this arm it will be understood the cavities in the cylinderare not, properlyspeaking, chainhers, but merely receptacles for the cartridges, the only chamber properly so called being the barrel. One advantage resulting from this construction of the barrel is that by constructin g the frame to cover the entire front of the cylinder the accidental explosion of one of the cartridges which is out of line with the barrel will blow the charge out through the side opening, f, of its containing cavity 1), and so preventinjury to the person firing the arm.

The axis-pin a, instead of being fixed when in place, as is usual, is represented as so applied as to be capable of a longitudinal motion, and is connected with the lever E by means of a hook, l, on the said lever, which draws the pin forward when the lever is moved forward. When the lever is moved back it pushes back the pin, and this backward movement may be made to cock the hammer by asuitable pawl.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The sliding barrel so combined with the revolving cylinder as to more longitudinally therewith and therefrom, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

2. The lever E and linlt j, combined with each other and with the frame and sliding barrel of the tire-arm, substantially as and for it e pnrposehereinspecified.

3. Giving the cylinder axis-pin ot' a revolv ing .fire-arm a longitudinal motion back and forth, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

EDMUND: 1-1. GRAHAM.

Witnesses:

Tnos. V. J. DOUGLAS, M. M. LIVINGSTON. 

